US missile defences put heat on Labor

By committing Australia to the US missile defence system and demanding that the Labor Party support it, the Howard Government has dramatically raised the stakes in its efforts to cast the Opposition leader as a threat to Australia's future security.

The Government's announcement yesterday that it had decided to participate in developing the system, which the Bush Administration is now spending billions to develop, opens the way for Australia to have a much deeper involvement in US military strategy and operations.

Australia has long played a crucial role in the US nuclear war system by providing ground bases for US satellites which watch for ballistic missile launches.

The Government's decision yesterday could eventually see Australian warships - equipped with sensors to detect missile launches and weapons to shoot them down - as part of a global US network protecting the US and key allies from missile attack.

The Government insists the missile defence system is not intended to be targeted at "well behaved, orderly" nations with ballistic missiles, such as China.

It says the main purpose of a missile defence system is to provide defences against rogue states now acquiring the missiles. By this it means North Korea.

But "well behaved" countries are extremely uneasy about the US plans. China has warned that the US risks triggering a new arms race as other countries seek to develop systems to counter the US.

All this is still somewhat hypothetical: the development of a totally effective system, capable of shooting down missiles in flight, is still far into the future.

A few months ago a high powered group of American physicists seriously questioned the likely effectiveness of such systems, saying the odds were against being able to develop the technologies.

But the Bush Administration has been seeking the support of allies anyway, arguing that the goal of establishing a missile defence system is worth pursuing.

The Howard Government has said repeatedly it agrees with the US objective but until now has not formally committed to it.

Its decision to commit to the development of the US system will be sold as the next step in deepening the alliance and a test of Mark Latham's commitment. It highlights the alliance relationship as the Government seeks to paint Mark Latham as anti-American and a threat to the alliance.

Latham has shown he recognises the danger in this. His first significant foreign policy initiative was a meeting yesterday with the US ambassador, followed by a press conference to declare his support for the alliance.

For the first time an American flag was hung in the Labor Party caucus room. It was there to give theatrical effect to his declaration.

Last night Latham was leaving open the possibility of supporting the Government's move: he said he would not make a statement on the missile defence initiative until he had been fully briefed by the Government on its plans.

If he gives anything less than full support, the Government will say his attack on George Bush proves Latham is anti-American and dangerous.